I joke about all the skinny LA pitchers they put in cattle pens for three years to fatten up, but they seem to have a "type" that they sign, hoping they'll add velocity as they grow up.
Sal has a first mover advantage which will be eroded over time but still gives us an advantage, especially in Venezuela over the long run.
People remember who helped them out in the tough times, and the Phillies did their best to keep the money flowing when people needed it there.
It's not an either or, but no one is going to pull the big haul in LA in the future, that depended on budget busting and accepting two years of penalties.
Now you can sign a few people off the top 50 list, but even with a dozen teams on the sidelines (and that number will drop each year), you still have 18 or so teams chasing 50 players.